


Seeds of Discord Pt. 6

by kbj1123



Series: Wonder Woman & Captain America [7]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Wonder Woman - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Crossover Pairings, F/M, One True Pairing, Sexual Content, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-04
Updated: 2015-02-04
Packaged: 2018-03-10 13:07:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3291413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kbj1123/pseuds/kbj1123
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone or something is causing violent riots to erupt all over the U.S., and whatever it is, it wreaks havoc with both Wonder Woman's health and Bruce Banner's ability to keep his rage in check.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seeds of Discord Pt. 6

Everyone is looking at Diana. She looks back at them placidly. “I’m waiting for a question,” she states. “I am not sure what you want me to say.” Director Fury has shown them several news clips featuring the same scene. Wonder Woman mourning over a young pregnant woman who has just been gunned down in front of a women’s health clinic in Anacostia. The protest-turned-riot had been deadly, and all around her, smoke rises to the sky, ambulances and paramedics tend to the wounded, and in the background, still, angry, picketers shout. “No,” she tells the reporters. “I have no opinion about the loss of this woman’s fetus. Its soul will find another body in which to reside. If it had survived into its recent incarnation, there would have been no one to care for it.” She is tired. She is more easily put off than usual by the microphones being shoved into her face as she tries to tend to the injured and investigate the scene. “Is it not more problematic that somebody died, and that these violent outbreaks are so frequent?” she asks the reporters.

“You have, in a 15-second sound-bite, effectively politicized SHIELD and the Avengers in ways we do not need right now…or ever,” Fury says. There is a staccato quality to his voice that indicates barely—checked anger. He doesn’t understand. Or maybe she doesn’t understand. This shouldn’t be a political issue at all, needless to say a newsworthy story. Even Steve has been quiet so far. Only Natasha has defended her position. Diana asks, “Did you not just tell recently that I needed to focus more on the larger issue of what is causing all this violence? Why are we dwelling on an honest answer I gave to a question?”

Fury explains again the difference between personal and public experience and opinion. She can see that he is exasperated with her. “I’m still not swayed,” she replies. “What happens to people in public is personal for each individual involved. One’s actions stem from her or his personal opinions and perceptions. I will not apologize for stating my point of view.” In fact, she is unused to her point of view ever being questioned like this. On Themyscira, she is answerable only to her mother and the gods, and all subjects abide by her Athena-given wisdom in matters of personal conflict. She realizes that SHIELD does not comprise her subjects, but then, Nick Fury and interested politicians are not monarchs or gods. Furthermore, had Hippolyta ever perished in battle while Diana was a child, the entire community would still have loved and cared for her. Here, too many people have no one. The lack of compassion for fellow human beings in Patriarch’s World appalls her.

Director Fury informs the team that he doesn’t care what their personal beliefs are on the matter; they are all going to be given statements to memorize, backtracking from Wonder Woman’s statement, which clearly came from a place of grief and frustration. Furthermore, Wonder Woman would be issuing a public apology. “I will not apologize,” she reiterates. “She shouldn’t have to apologize,” Bruce adds. She’s entitled to an opinion, and the more SHIELD bothers itself over this, the more politicized it’ll probably get, anyway.”

“And she’s right,” Clint says. “We should really look at the bigger picture here and figure out a plan to get to the source of these attacks. So far we know it’s some kind of high-frequency attack that affects your nervous system, right?”

Before Tony can answer, Fury growls, “That is not what this meeting is about. This is a public relations and disciplinary issue right now, and I don’t think the message is getting through.” He glares at Diana, who is impassive.

“I don’t think that’s gonna happen, sir,” Steve finally states. “Politics and media don’t carry any weight at all on Themyscira.” Anticipating the director’s reply, Diana stands in that effortlessly regal way that only royalty seems to do and says, “I am aware that I am not on Themyscira. I have already accepted my relegation to the library until future notice. Seeing that we are at an impasse, though, I see no reason to continue this debate.” She turns and leaves the room.

The next few days are quiet and tense at headquarters. No one wants to discuss what happened, either in the news or in the meeting. Steve, Tony, and Thor have dutifully recited their prepared statements; Bruce, Clint, Natasha, and Diana have remained silent on the matter. Diana is confused, though, and saddened at the division her opinion has caused among her friends. “I don’t understand. I will never understand how one can have a divisive political response to a personal opinion. I have apologized to each of my friends, as a group and individually for the discomfort I’ve caused them. Why are they still so angry?”

“You just chose a deeply divisive, religious, long-standing issue this country grapples with,” Bruce offers. “You didn’t know, you just answered how you honestly felt. I don’t think anyone’s angry though. I think we’re all just unsure of how to move past the awkwardness.” 

Diana feels her face getting warm and her eyes beginning to fill. “We are no longer easy with each other in here. This is awful.” Clint reaches over and pats her hand. “Everyone here’s a grownup. We’ll get over it. You’ll see. You should’ve seen Steve and Tony around each other when they first met.”

“Hey, I have an idea,” Natasha announces. “Let’s all go down to the big sparring room and piss off Bruce until he turns green. We’ll tear the walls off the place. You in?” Diana shakes her head. “Thanks though. I’ve got soft research to do.”

If things are uncomfortable at work, they’re even worse at home. Diana knows that Steve’s spiritual upbringing regards the unborn differently than she does. “How can you differentiate between one person’s ‘fetus’ and one day our own unborn child,” he asks her. “You say you don’t think we’re ready for a baby, but what if that happens before you think it’s the right time? What would you want to do?” When he asks these questions, there is a note of accusation in his voice. She knows he tries very hard to understand her point of view. He says he really does understand that this was never an issue in her culture, by design. 

Diana perceives myriad subtexts, however: he thinks she’d agree with him if she really thought about it; she has thought about it a good deal, and still does not agree. His sympathy goes as far as her inability to make political what she sees as common sense; she believes he is torn between supporting her and arguing against her. She is certain that to him, she appears insensitive to other points of view. For this third point, she is not. Of course it’s sad that someone who should have been born will not be. She simply believes it is not Patriarchal World’s role to determine the choices anyone makes about their bodies. More to the point, the reporters overlooked this woman’s death as tragic in its own right, regardless of her pregnancy. “That’s not what I meant,” Steve tells her, frustrated. So the conversation goes in circles.

Tonight though, she will somehow put things right. She’s lit candles throughout the apartment, made up a playlist of songs she knows Steve likes best, and has pushed furniture out of the way in the living room. Dinner from one of his favorite Italian restaurants is warming in the kitchen. She is wearing the dress she wore the first time they kissed, two years ago. When he gets home, he is carrying a dozen roses with him. He looks around quietly, and then smiles when he sees her: a real one, not the slightly pained or sad one to which she’s been subjected lately. Diana meets him at the door. “I don’t know if we will ever agree completely, but know this: I love you. I have no idea how contraception would even work for me since I’m not technically human. If I conceive before we hope to, we decide together how to proceed. I want a family with you. It is not a concession; we both want the same things.” 

He shakes his head. “I was wondering if you were worried. Just because I disagree with you doesn’t mean I’m mad at you,” he assures her. “You’re probably right, we’ll never see eye-to-eye on this one. But one thing that makes this country great is that we’re aloud to have differing opinions.” He hands her the roses down and hangs up his coat. “I’ve gotta admit though, there’s something kind of nice about coming home to you like this, even if it shows my age. May I have this dance, or are you about to burn dinner?”


End file.
